My Very First Attempt

[Chainstay]

Hello to everyone

 

By chance I fell on the book "How to build your very first watch" by Tim Swike. As I have always been fascinated by watches i bought it. Found it very inspiring although it focuses on "customizing" and casing of watches. Went on to the web and found this amazing forum! For a novice this is absolutely fabulous and it makes you want to strive for the elegant dexterity displayed in Marks videos. He makes it look so simple and that should have been a warning to me...

 

Anyway, in the days around Christmas several family members donated me six old non-working or obviously faulty working watches. It's amazing what people hides in their closets. I thought it was a splendid and cheap way to get into business, and I completed my first watch the other day.

 

It's a "Wehrmann". Couldn't be wound and had a terrible rattle when shaked:

The first two photos is before opening the case.

It turned out that the only thing wrong was the ratchet wheel and its screw lay loose!

 

I believe it's a Unitas 6325, one of the so-called "Wehrmachtswerke". The train wheel bridge differs from what I have found on the internet, but the movement-plate is identical with one I bought on ebay for spare parts.

 

Of course I broke one of the Incablock-springs, the one in the movement plate, but I simply switched plates. The one in the balance cock I managed to preserve. I couldn't figure out how to replace the spring alone, as it seems to be non-separable from the movement plate (correct me here please).

 

After cleaning (ultrasound) and re-assembly + lubrication I think I was struck by beginners luck, as it seems to work! I haven't got one of those fancy testing machines (yet), but measured on the app Twixt it looses 25,6 seconds per day which of course i far from impressive but that was not what it was all about with this otherwise useless watch.  I did loose small parts in the project, especially the click spring a lot of times, but amazingly I found each little part again. Btw I found out that cleaning of the hands using ultrasound is no good idea - must have had a stroke there...:)

 

So thank you for the forum - I have found a new hobby!

 

[Geo]

Welcome to the forum Chainstay. That's a great first pos, I see you are going to fit in well here. Just shout if you need help!

[bobm12]

Welcome Chainstay! Great beginning and outcome! I love the watch!

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

[clockwatcher]

Hi Chainstay!

That was very interesting intro - you'll be a very popular WRT member if all your posts are like it.

 

That's an interesting watch and I really dig the back!

 

Are you a surgeon AND a yachtsman?

 

John

[dadistic]

Wow! The Flash Gordon rocket on a mobile launcher? I'd love to know the story behind that watch.

 

And welcome, by the way.

[rogart63]

That is my favorite movement. Love those. Have found some nice movements in some junk cases . And then bought a NOS case from Ebay . Easy to work on . Perfect beginners movement . Nice watch . Why the rocket launcher on the caseback? Looks almost   Russian 

Edited January 3, 2016 by rogart63

[Chainstay]

Thanks for your kind remarks.

 

I don't know the story behind the back-side - my thoughts were exactly the same: Some kind of east German design. I think the watch is from the beginning of the 70's. A Google image search reveals the same and similar case backs, e.g this link.

 

Surgeon yes, yachtsman no.

 

Pauli

[ramrod]

agreed - this is a great first post. and welcome.

now, i'm anxious to see what the other five donated watches are!

[Rafal]

Your watch hands seems to have lume on them - so any kind of liquid is not a good idea for them, unless you are going to relume it at some point.

[Chainstay]

Hi Rafal

 

Yes, I learned it the hard way! Luckily I didn't try to clean the dial as well :startle:

 

Pauli